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The Canadian Rockies is beautiful country. At Teddy Roosevelt National Park the lady asked me if I wanted my lifetime National Parks pass for $10! How do you think I answered that? In Canada you have to be 65, I guess they want you to work longer up there! I paid $20 for a one day pass through their parks and it was well worth it.

The Canadian dollar on U.S. dollar were on par so that made trip costs easier to calculate. At $1.30 per liter my bill ran up fast but my Silverado gets 12 MPG loaded in the mountains instead of the lousy 9-10 I get at home! That truck needs to be chipped and I want to try Lucas Fuel Enhancement as a fellow swore it took his 6 liter from 9 to 15 MPG and his wife's foreign car from 30 to 40 MPG.

For $5 you got all the firewood you could burn at their National Parks so I built a big fire about the time the storm blowing off Isaac roared across Canada. It felt good that night. I burned a pile of wood that evening and it reminded me what I would be doing soon here at home.

Just like the locals said, Jasper is a quiet little town and Banff is so full of foreign tourists you can't turn around in it. They are both pretty but we liked Jasper better because it wasn't crowded and the scenery was every bit as good.

We turned east across Canada 16, the TransCanada Highway and passed the lonely road to Alaska along the way. I was kind of glad we didn't have time to go that far this year but I know it would be a once in a lifetime trip because I have talked to a few who have done it.

The Rockies flatten out slowly with trees for the first few hours until you get to the Canadian Prairie.

I am out of time again so I will have to finish later! Tomorrow is our annual church festival in Fayetteville!

Ed